How about a sheet of paper? Too thin to be useful? How about a clipboard? In ten years the MBA will be the thickness of a clipboard. It'll stand by itself and the camera will watch your fingers type on the tabletop and input the text. Then, maybe, it'll be thin enough. Maybe.

I agree, but maybe you're being a bit ergo-centric. Why even have a keyboard? I would think that by that time you'd have a voice conversation with it. Dictation is more futuristic as an user interface.

He made the DNA comment two years ago. It was in response to the suggestion of slashing the prices of existing Mac(s) - not some future new category or form factor (iPad) or MacMini (not a complete computer).http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10072393-37.html

I love my first-gen MBA and was holding off purchasing a replacement MBA (I want SSD, NVidia) until their announcement. If it is indeed true that they are reducing the size of their display, I may have to pass and go to a MBP. The current size is the absolute minimum I would go. I use my MBA as my 9-to-5 work machine and the weight savings is indispensable when commuting by motorbike.

I hope they offer the MBA in a higher screen size. 11" is just too small for me.

Will be interesting to see the new one in person though. I'd like to see how the integrated storage solution works out in real-world usage.

I think you have to see what it looks like. On the surface I would think that the iphone 4's screen is 'just too small'. But with the incredibly high resolution its quite comfortable doing a lot of stuff. I find the ipad's screen a bit too low in resolution.

We'll almost certainly see a smaller screen with the same or higher number of pixels. My guess is that it will seem bigger and be very easy to work with. We'll see next week. And a good idea is to try it out before dismissing it as 'too small' or declaring it an improvement.

SJ may have been right at that time. The landscape has changed considerably with the introduction of the iPad. Apple has learned a lot about how to reduce costs as pointed out in the article. Besides - the Airs may cost more than 500. I suspect the price will be a step up from the iPad but less than the MBP. I suspect that the Air will become the new MB.

What I look forward to seeing is how, and to what extent IOS will inform OSX in this and future revisions. With so many IOS (but non-OSX) users a lot can ride on this. A simplified OS to which an IOS user needs no introduction would be a great selling point.

One thing Apple doesn't need to do is dumb down Mac OS/X. I can see it picking up some Touch tech but not the silly resyrictions of iOS. Like it or not there are intelligent people on this planet that actually use the power of Mac OS/X!!! So no dumbing down of our OS, I would hate to have to go back to Linux.

The iPad is not a computer. Even though many other devices do computing functions they are not exactly considered computers in the general sense. Take a calculator for example, it can compute, but it is not considered a computer, same goes for my iPhone. Technically these devices are computers but in the general sense they are not.

Most Calculators are not programable, and when they can only be programmed with a small set of math functions.

The iPad is a general purpose computer that can be programmed to do anything that any other computer can do. It may be limited in horsepower, as are all computers, but it still is a computer.

It might take your laptop 5 years to compute the molecular structure of some complex molecule, instead of one hour on some heed up Mac Pro, but that does not mean that yours is not a computer!

As long as you can back up to any old HD using TM its not a big deal is it? I guess it depends a little on upgradability and replacability but not many people complain about lack of standards based storage in iPhones and iPads.

One thing Apple doesn't need to do is dumb down Mac OS/X. I can see it picking up some Touch tech but not the silly resyrictions of iOS. Like it or not there are intelligent people on this planet that actually use the power of Mac OS/X!!! So no dumbing down of our OS, I would hate to have to go back to Linux.

Proprieitory storage..well it is to some extent. the so called SSD Card is memory( the memory without the controller and firmware) So Apple buys memory from manufacturers, uses its own controllers with the memory and calls it "proprietory storage" .

Guys, don't get hung up on the word proprietary. It's not the same as a removable Sony stick Sony customers are stuck with. It's the same as in the iPhone and iPad, etc. Just like the battery, it's necessary in order to fit it in this tiny, thin, cramped space. The MBA is not intended to serve as a large, permanent storage device. That's external. This is ultraportable.

The iPad is not a computer. Even though many other devices do computing functions they are not exactly considered computers in the general sense. Take a calculator for example, it can compute, but it is not considered a computer, same goes for my iPhone. Technically these devices are computers but in the general sense they are not.

Or, it is a computer and it is 2010, not 2008 when he made that quote. Things change.

One thing Apple doesn't need to do is dumb down Mac OS/X. I can see it picking up some Touch tech but not the silly resyrictions of iOS. Like it or not there are intelligent people on this planet that actually use the power of Mac OS/X!!! So no dumbing down of our OS, I would hate to have to go back to Linux.

I agree wholeheartedly, and this is why I have not picked up an iPad. For short trips I use a windows based netbook, precisely because it is small, light, and does the simple things like email and running office. For longer trips, I lug my 15" MBP, which I hate to do. I have been waiting for a small (hopefully reasonably price) MBA.

As long as you can back up to any old HD using TM its not a big deal is it? I guess it depends a little on upgradability and replacability but not many people complain about lack of standards based storage in iPhones and iPads.

You're right on here. The problem that many people have is they expect to use a mobile computer as their desktop. We do get spoiled when laptops are as powerful as our desktops were, but they really never were meant to replace a desktop. This, IMO, is why people are OK with storage limitations in iOS devices, but others complain about it. There will always be those who want the entire catalog of their life in their pocket. Maybe someday, but not today.

What would be the difference in size if the overall form factor reduced but only by removing bevel from around keyboard & screen? What if we find out the screen size hasn't changed, that the laptop has just shed that extra inch around the keyboard & screen. That would be very cool.

The iPad is not a computer. Even though many other devices do computing functions they are not exactly considered computers in the general sense. Take a calculator for example, it can compute, but it is not considered a computer, same goes for my iPhone. Technically these devices are computers but in the general sense they are not.

Guys, don't get hung up on the word proprietary. It's not the same as a removable Sony stick Sony customers are stuck with. ....

I would agree not to get hung up on the word because AppleInsider is famous for using the wrong words in their articles and getting everyone hot under the collar because they don't describe things properly.

However, "proprietary" actually means exactly what you say it doesn't mean. A "proprietary SSD stick" from Apple is pretty much exactly the same thing as Sony's memory sticks. We can hope it's not true, or that if it is true they licence the technology, but you can't just redefine the word proprietary.

how many of you guys have actually exchanged the stock drive from their MBA? I bet less than 10%. If the proprietary integration of storage allows for significant price and space savings, that's all good. It's a logical step forward from proprietary batteries to optimize charge/space ratio while sacrificing user replaceability.

To be fair, the proprietary memory stick arguably cost Sony a lot of customers as well as their leadership position in some markets. I know I stopped using Clie's for this reason and I know I'm not alone.

That being said, Apple's customers are already playing in the walled garden of Apple products by virtue of the fact that Apple makes all OS-X compatible products themselves and there isn't really an issue of taking that hard drive stick out and putting it in another product that isn't an Apple product. I would bet also that they will release something like a drive caddy for it with a USB 3 or FireWire interface so you can transfer data off of it.

how many of you guys have actually exchanged the stock drive from their MBA? I bet less than 10%. If the proprietary integration of storage allows for significant price and space savings, that's all good. It's a logical step forward from proprietary batteries to optimize charge/space ratio while sacrificing user replaceability.

I agree. macBook Airs break a lot and being able to pull out the drive/stick/whatever and slide it into a new one would be invaluable. I'm sure Apple lost a mint on repair costs for the original MacBook Air and making the computer essentially disposable in this way while making sure that the data storage is far more reliable is an obvious move. In that it also would reduce heat and perhaps remove the fans, it could singlehandedly solve all the primary problems the first model experienced.

Most likely it will be a PCI Express card or a controller interfaced via PCI Express. It could be a controller of their own design or one of the new PCI Express supporting chips to recently hit the market. There is the issue of this "drive" being a card at all as they could simply integrate it directly on the motherboard.

Id bet money its electronically identical to mini-PCI, though mechanically proprietary. That is what Apple did with the AirPort Extreme Card, if I remember correctly.

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In a way being directly integrated on the motherboard would suck for upgrades but it would be reliable. If they go the route of direct integration hopefully they will provide a slot for expansion. The one certainty here is that there won't be enough storage space.

Despite the cons, this has many benefits. This should be very fast and can be made to fit whatever form they wish. It could even be a large array of NAND atop or below the MoBo, something you dont see with HDDs or SSDs because of the thickness. That could lower the footprint. Or they could go the other way and spread it out over a greater area so the casing can be thinner or fit some odd shape. It opens up a lot options.

BTW, how often are people replacing their solid-state storage anyway? I bet its even lower than those who use replaceable batteries.

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In any event the performance possible by going this route should be shocking. 500 to 800 MB / sec read should be no problem at all. Depending upon how aggressive they are performance could exceed that significantly. If they use an A4 type processor as the controller they might be able to do some interesting things with RAiD like tech to enhance flash reliability and fault tolerance.

it should be impressive. Apple can tweak this even further to make it work better for their OS. But what OS will they use? If they call it a Mac I would expect Mac OS X, but I dont expect Mac OS X to be made to run ARM processors. I expect a SFF CULV Core-i7. I do think making it a convertible notebook that doubles as a tablet, so I can see an iOS app simulator-type app, but I dont expect it to run iOS (or iOS to run x86).

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All in all I'm vary curious about this new machine as it sounds like a major innovation effort upon Apples part. Hopefully they will manage the price better than the old AIR.

Im curious about the usability. I loved my 12.1 4:3 PowerBook, but my 13.3 16:10 MBP has less screen height which means less readable content, though its certainly workable. An 11.6 16:10 display is noticeably shorter, and even though a full-sized keyboard will fit will there be enough room for a full-sized trackpad? Finally, what about ports.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

I wonder if this is pushing the size boundary just a little bit. I have the SSD Air, and it's JUST large enough to give me adequate screen real estate... but it's already treading a fine line in terms of size. True, the iPad is a lot smaller, but I don't use it for the same things; for traditional "computer" stuff, especially with multiple windows involved, I still need a full-size keyboard and a screen that my old eyes can actually see. And 13" seems to be the lower limit. Or 12", for some people.

But smaller than that? Hey, I own a lot of Apple gear, but this is one where I'm not feeling the love. I think the 2.7lb weight is awesome, but at the cost of squinting every time I want to do some work?

Ech - maybe I'm just being a curmudgeon. But I do think you can push the miniaturization thing too far.

The 9.7" iPad is both too big a too heavy, anyone here who wants bigger needs to be checked. That's not the saying the iPad isn't great. But I see the number 1 complaint being it's a little bit too big and heavy. Especially too heavy.

Whatever about this Air, and it seems like it's going to be 11.6", and probably 16:9, I think iPad 2 should be 9" - even. Smaller, not bigger.

AppleInsider put it in red text, it's probably true. For those wondering, the Macbook Air falls into the ultraportable category, not the netbook category. Netbooks are defined by their size, price and performance. The Air would only be similar in one of those three categories.

1) The current Air is barely upgradable: would you say Apple uses "proprietary memory" because its RAM is built-in the motherboard? This is a non-issue.

2) Even if you wanted more memory, you would have bought the wrong Mac because guess what: it's a MacBook Air. It's not supposed to have more than 256Gb of stuff in it at the same time. That means files which you can't just throw around easily, and to fill a 256GB SSD, that would have to mean Pro apps, which are not this computer's strength at all.

3) In the event you fill up your Air with other, easier to manage files like documents, photos and videos, you wouldn't buy a SSD for storing it because it would be a retarded waste of money. Instead, buy a Time Capsule (or other external HD) and be happy.

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WTF?! That's exactly what a netbook is. If this report is true, Apple is now making a netbook.

No, it is not. They are called netbooks because the heaviest kind of work you can do with is surf the 'net. Not even the first Air could fit in that category.

iPhone 4S 64GB, Black, soon to be sold in favor of a Nokia Lumia 920Early 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4GHz, soon to be replaced with a Retina MacBook Pro, or an Asus U500